Hi, I am trying my hardest not to use the heating at all for as long as possible. We have a coal fire which heats the downstairs rooms nicely, but in the winter, it will take a while to heat through, so I need some sort of portable "instant" heat to take the chill off until the fire has heated up enough. So. I am wondering, what works out cheaper to run for say 2 hours a day? A Calor gas heater, or a convector type electric heater? I know that oil filled radiators can cost a fortune to run, so even though I have been given one by a friend, im reluctant to use it. I have seen this heater and wondered what sort of running costs I can expect, or should I use an electric fan heater?

I have had my heating on for about 8 hours over this week and been cooking each night for about 1hr too and I have used 1 unit of gas, so I am doing well keeping the gas usage down to minimum and i'd like it to stay that way!

Your 2kw heater in the link will use the same amount of electric as a 2kw oil radiator. The main difference being the oil one will take a bit longer to warm up, but will carry on giving out the heat once it has been turned off.

With a calor heater, you are paying up front for a bottle, so there won't be any nasty surprises when you get a bill.

Work out from this how much each kwh is costing you, then compare with your electricity tariff at about 12p per kwh at normal rate.
Propane
* 1 Kg = 1.985 litres
* 7.08 KW = 1 litre

So you get roughly 14 kw per kg
If your gas bottle costs you £1.40 per kg, this would be 140 p for 14 kwh
140/14 gives you 10p per kwh
Substitute your own numbers, but I would guess the gas is a bit cheaper than electricity. This is also assuming 100% efficiency for both heaters, which would be the case if all the Calor gas is burnt and radiated into the room

Last edited by paceinternet; 27-09-2008 at 7:23 PM.

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Hi, I would just like to add that I have had a calor gas fire for over 20 years and it has been an absolute life-saver at times. Currently it sits in a large bathroom that is freezing in winter. It gets put on full (on 3) when I wash in morning - 10 mins - and then when I have a bath. It heats room almost instantly. Previously I had large sitting room and it was fantastic. Basically it is quick heat WHERE and WHEN you want it. Also it is pay-as-you-go. I am on a very tight budget and don't like quarterly bills thus have prepayment meter and Economy 7 for elec. As for fumes, I have windows open (at times) in day/at night. I have raised 3 healthy kids by the way. Good luck

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my landlord has taken out my leaking gas fire and replaced it with a £ 150 electric fire allthou i wanted agas fire replacement i think it will cost a fortune to run do i hav any rights or is electric fire as cheap as gas these days

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